Posted on 12/31/2004 5:29:04 AM PST by SolutionsOnly
The ring of coral in crystal waters around the Surin Island chain off Thailand's west coast forms a sturdy defense against the sea. So when the tsunami struck on Sunday it punched a few holes in the reef, but the structure mostly held firm.
The reef, says Thai marine environmentalist Thon Thamrongnavasawadi, may have saved many lives. Only a handful of people on the islands are known to have perished -- most scrambled to safety as the first wave exploded against the coral.
Tragically, across much of Asia, coastal communities found themselves with no such shield against nature's fury. The protective reefs, sand dunes and mangroves that look out toward the Indian Ocean in a broad arc from Sri Lanka to Bangladesh and Indonesia have been dynamited and bulldozed by a force as unstoppable as the tsunami itself -- the force that drives some of the world's fastest-growing economies.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
I'd suggest ducking; probably some serious incoming.
A fairly significant portion on FR sort of revels in the destruction of anything natural and gets rather upset at the slightest suggestion that anything in the environment should be protected.
In addition to being barely missed to the N by the main part of the wave, a reason Diego Garcia probably survived was the extensive fringing reef.
Thanks for the warning - I expect the incoming - there's a serious 'Let's make the world look like New Jersey' contingent here. :-)
But facts are facts. What can I say?
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